top of page
Search

Five Fact Thursday - Don't Let Wild Horses Drag You Away From This.

Writer: Kryssie Fortune
Kryssie Fortune
Apr 13, 2023
2 min read

Visit Wild Horse Peak today


The Art of Love and Murder, Wild Horse Peaks book 1, was created from brainstorming sessions around the dinner table with FDW (my husband) three nights in a row. I wanted to include Native American heritage in my characters. I wanted the heritage of my heroine to be steeped in mystery and murder. I wanted her journey to take her to Northern Arizona…one of my favorite places on earth. FDW helped me gel my loose ideas.

A woman searching for her past. A sheriff hiding in his present. Their future together threatened by murder.


The kooky best friend, a free-spirited, mystery murder author from book 1 of Wild Horse Peaks demanded to have her own book, Southwest of Love and Murder. We were living near Chino Valley, Arizona when I sat down to write, so I modeled the ranch in the book from the many ranches around Chino Valley. Phoebe is my favorite character from the series.

Writing murder mysteries is all in a day's work until an obsessed fan brings Phoebe’s stories to life.


An experience from my brother’s life, one awful night he spent in a cheap motel, formed the basis for the hero in book 3, The Power of Love and Murder. My brother called it awful…I laughed myself silly when he told his story.

Penny’s secrets can ruin the presidential contender who ordered her family’s murder…and mark her as the next hit.


I had no plan when I decided to write book 4, The Deep Well of Love and Murder. I set the book back on the ranch from book 2. A walk-on part only in book 1, Laura got the staring role in this story. It wasn’t until after I’d written the book that I discovered a ranch in the same area named The Deep Well Ranch.

A vengeful ex-husband and bloody fight for land threaten a love-struck couple’s happiness.


A question about the heroine’s bloodline is raised in book 1. The sequel to book 1, A Legacy of Love and Murder, sends her and her daughter off to Austria to investigate. I used an Austrian friend’s name, Hartmut, and some of the scenery he showed us when we visited it to paint the setting for the book. This book is free for the members of my newsletter.

Inheriting an Austrian Castle is an Alpine fairytale for August, until someone begins targeting the heirs.




You can read the first chapter of all of the Wild Horse Peaks books here:


SERIES LINK ON AMAZON:


BIO:

Brenda Whiteside is the award-winning author of romantic suspense, romance, and cozy

mystery. After living in six states and two countries—so far—she and her husband have settled in Central Arizona. They admit to being gypsies at heart and won't discount the possibility of another move. They share their home with a rescue dog named Amigo. While FDW fishes, Brenda writes.




 
 
 

Comments

Review of Vicious Creatures

“Killing people silences the screaming in my head.”

 

Chloe West’s father trained her to kill on command, and she was the best in the business. 

​

Ten years ago, she was supposed to infiltrate a paranormal academy, kill a few faculty members and students, and make it look like an accident. Then her daddy could step in and buy the property for less than it's worth.

Instead, the head teacher enchanted her into being  gentle-natured and passive. All she wants is to be a hairdresser. And she has no memory of her murderous past.

​

When a friendly witch breaks the spell, her memory rushes back. No longer a sweet-natured young woman her friends know and love, she doesn't want to see judgment in their eyes. Rather than face them, she flees.

 

Now her ambition is to rid he world of her billionaire father and make amends for all the pain and mayhem her killer persona created.

 

Then there’s Dwayne. Never forget Dwayne. He’s a killer goose with psychotic tendencies and Chloe’s best friend.

****

 

I loved the storytelling and breadth of imagination in this book.

​

 It’s hard not to identify with Chloe as she takes out various bad guys and befriends other paranormal creatures.

 

As mentioned, I have a soft spot for Dwayne. Let’s face it, who doesn’t want a killer goose for a best friend? Then there are vampires and a strategist who helped train her. He tells life's a chessboard, and while she might be a knight, she could be the queen. 

 

The medical research behind the murders is fascinating. If the police ever check Ms Hignett’s computer history, she could be in trouble.

 

This book, and the rest of the series, took over my life. Unable to put i down, I until the small hours then stated the next in series. It wasn’t until I finished the complete Waif in the Wilds series that I realised that although complete in itself, it's is part of a huge story arc.

 

Now I’m on a mission to read the connected series. I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves a slow building paranormal romance set in one of the best imaginary worlds I’ve ever visited. Best of all, a gentle humour runs through every word.

bottom of page